Phase transition studies in (p-n-phenylbenzylidene)-p-alkoxy anilines

The variation in density with temperature in seven compounds of p-n-(phenyl benzylidene)-p-alkoxy anilines, PBnOA homologous series has been carried out. The compounds with the alkoxy chain number, n = 1, 3–8, exhibit monovariant nematic phase N (n = 1 and 3), bi-variant NB (n = 4–6) and tri-variant NAB (n = 7 and 8) phases. The density and thermal expansion coefficient results reveal that the phase transitions present viz, isotropic to nematic, nematic to SmA, nematic to SmB, nematic to solid crystal and SmA to SmB in these compounds show first-order nature as expected. Further, these results reveal that all the parameters show characteristic change in the vicinity of the phase transformation. The results are discussed in light of the body of the data available.     

Cruising in ceramics—discovering new structures for all-solid-state batteries—fundamentals,materials, and performances

Energy storage research has drawn much attention recently due to increasing demand for carbon neutral electrical energy from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrothermal. Various electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies are being considered for their integration into smart grid systems, of which batteries seem to play a vital role due to their wide range of energy densities. In this review, we provide the current status and recent advances in solid-state (ceramic) electrolytes based on inorganic compounds for all-solid-state batteries. This paper is specifically focused on the fundamentals, materials, and performances of solid electrolytes in batteries. A wide spectrum of inorganic solid-state electrolytes is presented in terms of their chemical composition, crystal structure, and ion conduction mechanism. Furthermore, the advantages and main issues associated with different types of inorganic solid electrolytes, including β-alumina, NASICON and LISICON-type, perovskites, and garnet-type for all-solid-state batteries are presented. Among these solid electrolytes, Zr and Ta-based Li-stuffed garnets exhibit high Li-ion conductivity, electrochemical stability window (up to 6  V/Li at room temperature), and chemical stability against reaction with molten elemental Li. However, their stability under humidity and carbon dioxide should be improved to decrease the fabrication and operational costs.